Friendship, Love and Lasting Memories
by TheLexTurtle
Summary: Nick Wilde and Judy Hopps have an inseparable friendship and a blooming romance. This is a series of one shots that show their daily lives and the memories they share with each other. Rated T for mild language.
1. Chapter 1

**I saw Zootopia last night and I was inspired to write some Nick and Judy fluff because they are so cute and I just dhabjgoagwndiqg.**

 **Anyway, with a random word generator and my noggin, I'm going to write some oneshots surrounding them. I hope you all enjoy!**

 _Confused_

Judy unlocked her apartment door and collapsed on the rickety bed, not even bothering to change out of her uniform. She sighed into her pillow as her mind swirled with thoughts about Nick. Judy noticed that as she hung out with her partner more and more, those little butterflies in her stomach constantly fluttered, she blushed almost all the time, and she always babbled on and on. Judy tossed and turned, trying to think of a reasonable explanation of why this kept happening. However, the more she thought, the more her mind brought the same conclusion:

She was falling for him.

Judy groaned and stared at the alarm clock that sat on her desk. As she squinted to read the time, Judy eventually could read the numbers and letters as 1:43 A.M. She sighed and plopped back down, making an attempt to close her eyes and get some sleep. But Nick just kept appearing in her mind. After a few minutes of this, she jolted back up, with those damned butterflies in her stomach again, and glanced at the clock.

1:57 A.M.

Judy huffed in annoyance and hopped out of bed. She needed to go see Nick and tell him how she felt around him. She could not take this anymore. This whole thing had been driving her nuts and making her lose sleep for months. Judy grabbed her keys, left her apartment, and was on her way to his house.

 _"Okay,"_ Judy mentally told herself as she walked. " _I'm going to go to Nick's, telling him how I feel, and_ _whatever happens..."_ she stopped walking for a moment, suddenly a bit uneasy and unsure.

Judy was tempted to go back to her apartment and just forget about this idea. But a little voice in the back of her mind told her this needed to be done. After all, they were best friends. If he rejected her, he would likely do it gently... Or at least she hoped so.

Once she made it outside, she regretted not bringing a coat for the unexpected cold night. But Judy knew that if she went back to her apartment for anything, she would likely convince herself not to do this and just stay inside. Judy wrapped her arms around her torso and walked her way to Nick's home. Luckily, it wasn't far from where she lived.

After what felt like an eternity, Judy finally reached 1955 Cypress Grove Lane. She quickly turned her head to the right, hearing some loud, drunken shouting in the distance. Nick did not exactly live in the _best_ part of town and even though she was a cop and could take care of herself, she didn't want to cause any unnecessary trouble here.

Judy exhaled in an attempt to calm her growing nerves and gave herself a pep talk. "Okay, Judy. You can do this. You can do this. Just tell him how you feel." Her breathing hitched as she formed her shaky right hand into a fist and knocked on his door.

Her stomach twisted into knots as she heard the sound of locks being opened. Nick swiftly opened the door and smiled when he saw her. "Judy!" he started, crossing his arms. "I didn't expect to see you here, especially at this hour of the night."

"N-Nick, uhh, there's something, uhh, that I-I need to, uhh..." Judy mentally slapped herself. Articulate she wasn't. She just looked at the fox. He was in a dark yellow shirt and some sweatpants. His hair was disheveled and sticking out in random places. Judy wondered if she woke him up. She had a sudden feeling of regret.

Nick chuckled. "Please, Carrots. Come in. I was just watching some TV," he said as he held the door open for her. Judy blushed for the millionth time that morning. He always gave her the nickname "Carrots."

He sat down on his lime green couch, motioning for her to join him by patting on the cushion beside him. She sat down and glanced at anything but him. Judy noticed that his apartment was an absolute mess, but did everything in all her power not to grimace at the pigsty. The last thing she wanted to do was hurt his feelings. Not wanting to look around anymore, she just glanced down at her fidgeting paws. Nick saw that she was obviously nervous about something. He put his right paw underneath her chin and made her look up at him.

"Judy, are you okay?" he asked, his tone filled with concern. She stared into his emerald eyes, getting lost in them. Her mouth suddenly felt incredibly dry and she became more squirmish. The conflicting war within her kept going. Her heart was screaming at her to tell him, but her head said she would only get hurt.

Judy fearfully licked her lips and finally said, "I-I don't really know why I came over... I-I'm sorry." She mentally cursed herself. This was her chance and she completely blew it.

Nick just smiled. "That's okay. I mean, isn't it okay just to come over sometimes? Even if it is," he glanced at his alarm clock that was right beside him, "2:17 in the morning?"

Judy just laughed. "Yeah. I guess so."

Awkward silence filled the apartment, both wanting to start a conversation, but not knowing what to say. Judy was incredibly uncomfortable. She looked over at Nick and figured he might be too. She slowly got up and made her way toward the door.

"Well, Nick. It was nice seeing you this early morning, but I should let you get back to what you were doing..." Judy said in a sad tone, but having a fake smile on her face. "I'll see you at work tomorrow."

She turned the door handle with her right hand and felt a paw grab her left. Her face immediately heated up.

"Wait. I've forgotten my manners... Well, the little manners I have," Nick started, laughing nervously. "I don't want you to go. I don't mind your visit. Please," he turned her around, gripping both of her paws and pulling her closer to him. "Stay."

She grinned widely. "Okay. I'll stay. For a little bit."

They walked back over to the couch. The two of them talked, laughed, and watched movies airing on the television for hours. Judy felt relaxed and content. She was beside her best friend and she did not want to be anywhere else. She leaned her head against Nick's shoulder, becoming very drowsy. Nick looked down at her and gulped, a bright blush starting to form on his muzzle. Slowly, he put his arm around her shoulder, gazing down at her as he did so.

"Thanks for letting me stay over, Nick." Judy said, her thoughts becoming cloudy as sleep started to take over.

"Y-You're welcome, Judy." Nick responded. He began to look at everything but her. The TV was blaring in the background, playing a romance film. The two leads were infatuated with each other and were kissing. Nick sighed in annoyance. The movie was just making him more nervous.

"Hmm," Judy started, her eyes completely closed and she talked in almost a whisper. "I love you..."

A few seconds later, she seemed to have realized what she said because she jolted up and looked at Nick, who had a sly smirk on his face. _Oh please... Judy thought. Nick, please, please say you didn't hear what I said... Oh Lord, please..._

"You... Love me?" Nick asked slowly as he brought Judy closer. Her stomach dropped and her heart was beating so fast. Judy thought it might burst out of her body.

"N-No! I mean, uhh, I love, uhh..." She was trapped. Judy needed to think of an excuse and fast. Nick smirked at her. He had her where he wanted her, like a predator when it caught its prey.

She took a deep breath, then continued. "I mean, I, uhh, love... your car! Yeah! I didn't finish my sentence, and I wanted to tell you that I love your car!"

He looked at her, confusion evident in his face. "But you told me every time that you took a ride with me that you hated my car."

"Yes. Yes I did," she started. "But now, I love the, uhh, antique-ness of it. It's, uhh, _cool_." Judy said, emphasizing the word "cool." She really hoped he bought her very ridiculous lie.

Nick chuckled. "Alright. Suit yourself, Carrots."

Judy leaned back on his shoulder and buried her face in his shirt, trying to hide her embarrassment from him. Soon, however, sleep started to take over her. Nick had the remote in his paws and was flipping the channels, anything to get away from the ungodly long romance film. Suddenly, he heard quiet snoring beside him. He glanced down and saw Judy sound asleep, her left arm wrapped around his waist. He put down the remote and held her in his arms.

Thoughts began to flood his mind. He wished he wasn't so afraid to tell her. He wished that he could call her his. He wished that they could be a little bit more than best friends... But the reality came back and hit him like a ton of bricks. Nick knew they couldn't be more unless they both were not scared. He knew though, that right now, they were petrified. He thought back to the mere moments ago when Judy was denying saying that she loved him because of fear.

However, as he looked down at her, he could see everything. He could see them being together, getting married and starting a family. That was something that he desperately wanted. That was something that he believed, hell, even _knew_ would happen. But at that moment, Nick was happy with just having a crush on her and her obviously having a crush on him. Nick came to the understanding that is was okay to take this whole thing slow. It was okay, for the time being, that they were just friends. But that realization didn't stop an idea coming to his head.

Looking down at the bunny he loved, he leaned down and lightly pressed his lips to her forehead. Judy smiled and sighed, wrapping both arms around his torso. He hugged her, not wanting this moment to end. He didn't know when there would be another one like this. This few minutes with her was too perfect.

"I love you too," Nick quietly said, mostly to himself. He was not quite ready for her to hear his confession yet. He kissed her on the forehead again as sleep started to overcome him as well.

 _ **One Week Later...**_

Nick and Judy were standing outside of the bunny's apartment complex. Nick was complaining as Judy was being stubborn.

"Come on, Carrots! Just close your eyes!" Nick whined.

"Just tell me what it is, Nick!"

"No! It's a surprise!"

"Fine!" Judy exclaimed, not particularly wanting to listen to her best friend, but just going along with it to stop their bickering... And partly to make him happy. He pushed Judy forward, making her walk toward whatever thing he wanted to show her. With each step she took, the more curious she became.

"Alright. Open your eyes!" Nick exclaimed.

She did as she was told. In front of her was a car... A really crappy car. She turned around to face him, incredibly confused.

"But Nick. This is your car."

"I know," he started. "You said last week that you loved it so much, so I'm giving it to you."

Her eyes went wide and her mouth agape. She completely forgot about her stupid lie. Nick laughed immensely, knowing exactly what her reaction would be. He fell on the ground, giggling as Judy joined in with his laughter, making the two of them very late to work that day.

 **And there it is! My first oneshot! I hope you guys liked it. I plan to write many more in the near future. Also, I apologize if this first one seemed a little jagged and uneven. It's been a little while since I've written anything.**

 **That being said, be sure to review! I would love to hear your critiques and improve my writing for next time.**

 **Thanks so much for checking this out!**

 **-TheLexTurtle**


	2. Chapter 2

**Wow! I honestly did not expect the immense amount of reviews, favorites and follows on this FanFiction in the three days it's been out. Thank you all so very much for the kind comments and advice. They really mean a lot to me.**

 **I hope you guys like this one as much as I enjoyed writing it, which was a lot. Be sure to R &R! **

_Birthday_

It was in two days. The one day he kept pushing off for weeks, only to have it quickly creep up on him. The one day he spent hour after hour for, trying to find the perfect thing. The one day he did not want to let his partner down.

Judy was turning twenty-four... And he had no idea what to get her.

Nick looked away from his laptop screen for a moment, rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and glanced at the digital clock beside him for the billionth time that early morning. He groaned in annoyance as it was 3:36 A.M.. He had wasted another hour on another pointless online store. Tired and irritated, Nick turned off his laptop and decided to get a few minutes of shuteye.

 _Five or ten minutes of sleep wouldn't hurt._ Nick thought, as he laid down on the couch he was sitting on. _I have pulled three all-nighters trying to find a gift. Maybe I'll finally find it after some rest._

After what felt like a few minutes, he abruptly woke up to pounding on his door and a voice belonging to a familiar bunny shouting at him.

"NICK, IF YOU DON'T GET OUT HERE IN ONE MINUTE, I WILL COME IN THERE AND RIP OFF YOUR TAIL!"

Nick looked at the digital clock and his stomach tied into a knot when he saw it was 5:47 A.M.. Judy was picking him up for work. If he made them late _again_ , Chief Bogo, and Judy, would surely have his head.

Cursing at himself for sleeping much longer than five or ten minutes, he frantically changed into his police uniform and scurried out the door. There was no time to do anything else.

The first few moments in her car were complete silence. Judy huffed under her breath as Nick stared at her with sleepy eyes and a sly smile, trying to make her less angry with him.

"Come on, Carrots," Nick began as he put an arm around her. "I know what will cheer you up. A nice, warm cup of coffee."

Judy slapped his arm away with one of her paws, staring intently on the road, not falling for his smooth-as-silk comments. "We would have had time for coffee if you woke up fifteen minutes ago," she snapped.

"Look, I'm _reeeeally_ sorry, okay? I just was exhausted. I didn't sleep very great last night. I'm sorry I woke up late," Nick said, leaving out the part that he's been up for three nights.

Judy sighed as the car halted at a stoplight. "It's okay, Wilde. I'm tired too," she replied with a small smile. Nick smiled back at her.

 _Judy works so hard..._ Nick thought. _She really deserves something truly special._

"Look, I'll make it up to you," Nick started, placing his arm around Judy again. "I'll get you something really nice for your birthday."

She looked over at him. He had that usual mischievous smirk on his face and he lightly squeezed her with his arm. Judy blushed slightly as the light turned green. "But, Nick. Your friendship is all I need. I don't want anything else."

"I know," he began, "but since you are my best friend and you work so hard all the time, you deserve a really great gift."

She pulled into the police station, parked the car and looked at him. "Well, thank you very much," Judy said.

The fox just smiled. Judy unbuckled her seatbelt and exited the car, leaving Nick alone to exhale and mentally freak out. Nick had to find a really fantastic present in a jiffy. As he began to ponder, the well known "ARE YOU COMING?" from Judy interrupted his thought process. He swiftly unbuckled his seat belt, left the car and followed her in. This was going to be a very long day.

For the first time, Nick could not think of a plan. He was always so good on his feet and able to come up with ideas on the fly on how to ge out of a situation or catch a criminal... But he could not think of a present for a bunny.

He sat down at his desk and pretended to do some paperwork when people, especially Judy, walked by. When he was alone, he pulled out a gigantic list of gift ideas, scratching off furiously the presents that would not work. Eventually, every idea was eliminated and Nick racked his brain for something, _anything_ to give her. But the more Nick thought, the more nothing came.

The day ended too soon and Nick's hard work was all for naught. He declined Judy's offer to take him home, saying that he needed to clear his head and walk. It was only an hour home by foot. He began walking, hoping some idea for Judy would come to his mind. But the whole way home, Nick's mind was blank. When he made it inside, he flopped down on his couch, incredibly irritated.

The rest of Nick's evening was spent trying to think of something for Judy. When he was not thinking, he was stressing about what would happen if he did not find a gift. Frustrated with constantly coming up with nothing for hours, he sat down on his couch with his head in his paws, about ready to give up. He fell backwards onto the couch, feeling unsatisfied and melancholic. Nick closed his eyes and sighed, desperately wishing he could come up with something really great. Judy really deserved it.

A few seconds later, he sat up, Judy's words from their conversation in the car that morning replaying in his head.

 _"But, Nick. Your friendship is all I need."_

His eyes opened wide as the gears in his head turned. Nick looked down at his phone and smiled. He knew exactly what he was going to give her. Nick jumped off the couch and ran out the door, having a few errands to run. He was elated that he had finally came up with a gift idea.

* * *

Ultimately, Judy's birthday arrived. Nick woke up much earlier than normal to put the finishing touches on the rectangular object he had worked so hard on during the previous two evenings. After he wrapped it, he glanced at the time. Judy was to be there any minute. Nick grabbed the gift and immediately after, he heard knocking on his door and Judy saying, "Nick, you've got twenty minutes. It's time to wake up."

Nick placed the object on the arm of the couch and opened the door, leaving her in a bit of shock. He never got up or was prepared for the day this early.

"It's a special day, so I figured I should greet you at the door." he stated and allowed her into his home. She smiled at him and stepped in.

"So, is this my present? You finally waking up and dressed early from now on?" Judy asked following him towards the couch.

"Har har," Nick sarcastically replied. "You're _very_ funny."

They both sat down. Nick sucked in a breath, suddenly nervous. "I actually do have a present for you though, Judy."

She just smiled at him. "You really didn't have to get me anything. I don't need much."

He continued with a shrug. "I know. You told me the other day our friendship was a great present. But, that wasn't good enough for me because I feel that you deserve something more. But, if it makes you feel any better, this present _is_ our friendship."

He grabbed the gift from beside him and handed it to her. Judy had a puzzled look on her face.

"What do you mean that this present is our friendship?" she asked.

Nick just smiled. "Open it."

Judy slowly tore at the wrapping paper. With each second that passed, Nick got more anxious and antsy as second thoughts filled his mind. _She's gonna hate it. She's gonna think it's complete crap. She's never going to want to talk to me again because of how awful this gift is. Why did I do this present? This was a terrible idea..._

Judy ripped the remaining paper off of the object and quietly gasped at what she saw. It was a small frame filled with pictures she and Nick took together during the previous year. She smiled as she saw the photo of them at the Gazelle concert. She chucked to herself as she looked at the picture of her and Nick with coffee spilled all over them. Judy inhaled deeply, trying to prevent the tears from coming as memories filled her mind.

She remembered when they went to the beach for a week.

She remembered when they were stuck on the side of the road for ages because her car broke down.

She remembered all of their movie nights.

She remembered all the random midnight talks.

She remembered all the laughs they shared, all the tears they shed, all the happy times and all the sad times.

She remembered when Nick was just always there for her.

"I downloaded some of our best photos together from my phone and printed them out. We took so many pictures, so it was hard to pick which ones to frame," Nick timidly said after a few moments. Judy looked up at him, tears starting to form in her eyes.

"Nick..." Judy started. He was on the edge of his seat, wanting to know what she thought. Nick closed his eyes and exhaled, expecting her to throw the frame on the ground and call it terrible, shitty, whatever words came to her head to describe it. He did not expect her, however, to hug him.

Judy wrapped her arms tightly against his torso. "This is the best present I've ever been given."

Nick was surprised at her words. He wrapped his arms around the bunny who was crying happy tears into his shirt. After a few moments, she released her hold on him, sat up and grinned wide at him. "Thank you so much, Nick."

"Eh, it was no problem at all, Carrots," he said with a nervous laugh, feeling relieved that she liked the gift.

The fox sighed happily and wrapped an arm around Judy's shoulders. All that work. All the hours trying to find a present. All the failed attempts... They were all worth it for this moment. Judy was very happy and Nick was thrilled.

Judy looked up from the frame and the two embraced once again. They were both smiling, content to be with each other's company. The remainder of that morning before work was filled with smiles, laughter and fond recollections of the year before.

 **I had to delete this chapter a couple times and re-upload/redo it because the Doc Manager kept messing it up. I intended to have this up two hours ago so I apologize for the inconvenience. I'm planning to have another one shot up later this week or early next week. Until then, keep reading!**

 **-TheLexTurtle**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey, guys! I am so, so, so, so sorry. I know I said that I would get a chapter up earlier this week, but life just said no. However, I am now on Spring Break, which means I have more time to post more chapters! This one shot is one some of you might have been waiting for. I had intended to write a scene where Judy and Nick's relationship became a little more romantic when I reached 100 followers on this story, but I made it to 90 and decided it was close enough. Anyway, enough of my rambling. Here's the chapter!**

 _First_

Judy tapped her pen on her desk in a constant rhythm. It was a _very_ slow day. However, she was still in good spirits. Judy would end her shift at noon, which was now only half an hour away. She normally was not this excited to end work, but she had other plans.

Judy was going to lunch with Nick.

It was his day off, however, so she was very antsy without her friend there. Even though he would usually say stupid things and purposefully try to annoy her, she still wanted his company. Judy put down her pen and rubbed her paws across her face, wanting the agonizing thirty minutes to be over. Zootopia was never this inactive. Usually someone called because their shop was stolen or there was an accident... But nothing.

Judy eventually turned her attention to the television that hung high on the wall. She grabbed the remote and pushed the up and down buttons, hoping to find one channel that caught her attention. None of them did. Grumpy and bored, she settled on the weather channel with a goat giving the forecast and rested her back against her chair. This was going to be one long half an hour.

Suddenly, the phone finally rang for the first time her shift, which made Judy jump slightly, catching her off guard. She picked up the phone eagerly and put on the perkiest voice she could muster.

"Zootopia Police Department. How can I help you?"

"Hey, Carrots!" the other line said.

Judy rolled her eyes. "Nick. You can't call me on my work phone."

"Well, I tried reaching you on your cell," he began, "but you didn't answer."

She chuckled. "Yeah, because I'm at work."

Judy heard him scoff, which made her laugh internally. Nick spoke again.

"How about we eat where we usually do? You know, that hill right by the park?"

Judy pondered about it for a moment and was about to tell him yes when the television caught her eye. The goat giving the weather was saying that there would be possible thunderstorms near Zootopia at around 12:30.

 _Perfect_. Judy sarcastically thought. _This is fantastic._

"Nick, we're gonna have to find somewhere else to eat. There's going to be rain at 12:30."

The fox made a "tsk" sound and replied in a whiny, baby talk voice, "Aw... Does the wittle bunny not want to get wet?"

Judy narrowed her eyes as Nick's laughter echoed through the phone. Eventually, she just smiled and shook her head.

"Fine. We'll eat on the hill."

Eventually, Judy's shift ended and she was in her apartment, changing into a pair of jean shorts and her pink, plaid shirt. She smoothed down her ears and smiled at herself in the mirror. This was going to be a great afternoon.

The small rumble of thunder turned her attention to the outside. As she looked out the window, she noticed grey, puffy clouds had started to form and combine together, but there was no rain. Although, based on how the clouds carried themselves, Judy guessed it would start to downpour at any minute.

Three forceful knocks on her door snapped Judy out of her thoughts. She scurried over and opened the door. Standing before her was Nick in a lime green Hawaiian shirt and a pair of khakis. He brought up his right paw, which held two brown bags.

"I got some sandwiches," Nick said. "Ready, Carrots?"

Judy smiled. "You know it."

The two of them started their way over toward the hill, talking and laughing the way there. Once they made it to their destination, they sat down, opened the two paper bags and began to eat. Judy smiled, hearing the excited giggling and yelling from the children at the park nearby. Nick finished his sandwich, looked at the bunny next to him and smirked.

"So, Judy, how was work?"

Judy turned her head to her companion, rolled her eyes and groaned. "It was so boring. Literally nothing happened today!"

"Hmm. That's too bad," Nick started as he leaned back on the hill. "I had _sooooo_ much fun on my day off..."

He sat up slightly to see Judy glaring at him. Nick pressed his lips tightly together, trying to stifle a laugh. But quiet snickers still managed to sneak their way out of him. Judy punched his shoulder jokingly.

"It's a good thing I was at work. Something bad could have happened." Judy blatantly stated.

"Yeah. But nothing did. Face it Judy, today was just not your day." Nick chuckled, which turned into laughter. Judy joined along with his laughing, her seriousness melting away.

"You know-" Judy giggled, but was interrupted by a _plop_ of water on her head. Her eyes went wide and she froze. Nick sat up abruptly, his laughter immediately dying as well. After a few seconds, the two of them anxiously chuckled, then Nick felt a _plop_ on his head. Judy looked up and a _plop_ landed on her pink nose.

"Well, at least it's only sprinkling." Nick said, trying to be positive.

Then, with a crack of lightning and a loud growl of thunder, it started to pour, drenching the fox and bunny. Nick and Judy stared up at the sky and then slowly gazed at each other. The two of them began to giggle, which turned into yet another laughing fit. Nick and Judy stood up and began running to her apartment, both cachinnating the whole way there.

After a few minutes of sprinting as fast as they could, the two of them made it to her place of residence. Judy unlocked the door and led Nick inside, the water sopping her wooden floor. Both were shivering and soaking wet. Judy walked over to the light switch on the wall and flicked it up. When nothing happened, she flicked it back down. She repeated this action a couple more times before she sighed and accepted that the power was out.

"I'm going to grab some towels from the bathroom," Judy began. "Nick, can you grab some candles? I think they're in the bottom drawer in the dresser beside my bed."

Nick nodded and Judy went into the bathroom. The fox searched through only the bottom drawer, respecting the bunny's privacy. There were four scented candles and a box of matches. He grabbed all the essentials and placed the candles around the tiny room, lighting each one. It was not a lot of light, but he figured it would do. Although, Nick soon regretted igniting the candles when the apartment quickly filled with an interesting, but nasty combination of apple, pine, ocean and coffee scents.

Judy exited the bathroom, a bunch of towels in her paws. "Here we go! Now we can dry off!" she exclaimed.

"That's fantastic, Carrots." Nick said smiling.

Judy then caught a whiff of her apartment and almost gagged. "Nick! What is that smell?!"

He was about to chuckle at her reaction when she slipped on a puddle of water on the floor, the towels flying out of her hands and into a heap on the ground. Judy fell backwards and closed her eyes, bracing herself for the brutal impact with the floor. Nick swiftly skidded over to her and caught the bunny just in time. Judy opened her eyes when she felt two arms wrap themselves around her waist. She glanced up to see her friend with a concerned expression on his face, breathing heavily.

"Are you alright?" Nick asked worriedly as he stood her back up, his hands moving to her hips. She was back on her feet while Nick was kneeling beside her.

"Y-yeah. I'm uhh... I'm fine." Judy said as she played with her right ear, glancing down to the floor. She felt a blush creep onto her face and glanced back up at Nick. Their eyes locked in a haze of emerald and amethyst.

Neither of them moved. For a moment, they were just lost in each other's eyes. Both of their hearts stopped at the same time and started again in unison. Nick felt a newfound courage within him. He lifted his right paw and put it on Judy's cheek, lightly caressing it. Judy closed her eyes and smiled, leaning into his paw. Nick did not know if it was the candlelight or if it was the current situation, but this moment was perfect.

 _She's so cute... No. She wouldn't want me to call her that. Other animals don't call bunnies cute. She's... She's..._ Nick thought of a better adjective as he watched Judy open her eyes, happily staring at him.

 _Absolutely gorgeous._

Relying solely on instinct at this point, he moved forward and placed both his paws on her waist. Nick pulled her slowly toward him, closed his eyes and leaned in. Judy, realizing what was happening, followed suit. Neither of them realized this was what they both wanted. Neither of them realized that they wanted each other for so long.

Until now.

Nick's lips lightly brushed against Judy's before he claimed them to be his. He tilted his head more to the side, deepening the kiss in the process. Nick hugged her closer to him, moved a paw up to her ears and lovingly stroked them. Judy wrapped her arms around his neck, moaning as the kiss became more intense. She played with the fur on the back of his neck, sending shivers down his spine. They did not want this moment to ever stop. But the two knew that all good things must come to an end.

Judy gently pulled away to breathe, keeping her arms around his neck. When she opened her eyes, Judy expected to be greeted with the calm, cool and collected Nick, him saying that he loved her so much and pulling her in for another embrace. Instead, she saw Nick with an embarrassed and distraught expression clearly written on his face. Judy was confused, worried and slightly hurt. She moved her arms down to her sides and Nick unwound his arms from the small rabbit. He stood up, moved quickly toward the bed and sat down. Judy walked slowly toward him.

 _Shitshitshitshitshitshit... Ohhh man. What did I do? I didn't even ask for her permission! I just leaned in and bam! I kissed her! This was a mistake. A HUGE mistake. I should have told her how I felt, took things slow. Not just flat out go to first base!_

"Nick? Are you okay?" Judy timidly asked, taking the terrified fox out of his thoughts. He sucked in a breath, formulating the words he was about to say in his head. Now was the time to tell Judy his secret he was so afraid to share with her for over a year. He had intended not to tell her this for a very long time, or to never even tell her, because he feared of losing her.

Nick turned to Judy and grabbed her paws. After a few minutes of silence, he quietly spoke two words: "I'm sorry."

Judy looked at him but he refused to look back at her, the embarrassment he felt turning to shame. She noticed his eyes were becoming glossed over. Judy pulled a paw from one of his hands and tenderly cupped Nick's cheek. "Why are you sorry?" she asked.

"Because I kissed you without your permission. It was wrong."

"Oh Nick... It's okay, really."

"No it's not," Nick started. "I really like you, Judy. Not just as a friend, but... As a little bit _more_ than a friend. I'm worried that because I didn't tell you, I ruined everything. You're my best friend and I don't want to lose you."

Judy was teary-eyed. She had suspicions that Nick felt this way about her and really hoped those inklings were true. Now that he had admitted them, she felt like she was on Cloud 9. Judy figured that if he had the strength to tell her his feelings, she should pull up her big girl pants and tell him hers.

"Oh, Nick-"

"But if you never want to see me again, you don't have to," Nick interrupted. "I invaded your personal space and I regret that."

"Nick."

"I can leave the police force and find a job somewhere else. It's not a big deal."

"Nick!" Judy yelled. He was being completely irrational. Not listening to her, she slapped him across the face. Nick rubbed his cheek, regaining his senses.

"Thanks. I needed that." he said.

Judy sat beside her depressed companion, shakily placing a paw on his leg. "Would you like to know something?" she asked. Nick pondered about it for a moment, then slowly nodded his head, petrified about what would come next. Judy put her paws on his face and turned his head towards her. She adoringly tugged the fox to her and kissed him again. It did not last as long as the first time, but she wanted to reassure Nick that everything was completely fine. She pulled away and smiled at the goofy expression on his face.

"Well, Nick Wilde. I really like you too... As _more_ than a friend."

The two of them grinned at each other until the forgotten scents of the room returned with a vengeance and the putrid aroma of the candles filled their nostrils, soiling the precious moment. The two of them retched at the scent and Nick got up to open the window in an attempt to waft out the terrible odor. Suddenly, the dim light of the candles was enhanced with a brighter one. Judy saw the light on her ceiling was working. The power was back. Nick blew out the candles and made his way back over to Judy, still sitting on the bed.

"Want to watch a movie?" she suggested, wanting him to stay. Nick grinned and nodded. They decided on an older film, _Catsablanca._ Nick put it in the DVD player that was beside the 24 inch television on her desk.

He sat beside Judy, taking her in his arms as the black-and-white film began to play. About twenty minutes into the movie, both of them were sound asleep, cuddled against each other. The only dreams they had were ones of their bright, and loving, future ahead.

 **I'm planning on writing more fluffy stuff like this, but also making more friendship one shots. I loved writing this one and I hope you guys enjoyed it. Be sure to R &R! Until next time, keep reading! **

**-TheLexTurtle**


	4. Chapter 4

**I went bowling with some friends a couple days ago and that was sort of the inspiration for this chapter. I hope you guys enjoy!**

 _Jealousy_

"Where are you taking me?" Judy asked as Nick continued driving.

They were in his car for fifteen minutes. She was curled up on his passenger's seat, refusing to touch the grime and gunk that covered the seats and floor. She internally screamed when her foot bumped a discarded sandwich bag.

The fox just chuckled as he turned a corner. "You'll just have to wait and see..." he replied in a sing-song voice.

Judy huffed and tapped her paws on her knees. When Nick brought up the idea about them doing something fun for their first date, she figured he would at least tell her what they were doing. Instead, he just picked her up in his car and they drove away. Not a peep about his plans were spoken to her.

Judy leaned the back of her head against the passenger's seat, trying to ponder where they were going. After a moment, she sat up and snapped the digits on her paws.

"We're going to the movies!" she concluded.

"Good guess, Carrots, but no," Nick said. "There's nothing good out right now."

She sighed in annoyance. "Nick, I have no idea where we are going."

"Well, you don't need to ponder anymore," he said as he pulled into a parking lot. "We're here."

Judy glanced up at the red, green and blue neon sign that announced their plans for that evening.

Bowling.

 _Oh no..._ Judy thought. _This is not going to end well._

"Nick, um, I hate to break it to you, but I'm awful at bowling," Judy stated.

Nick's smiled faltered a little bit. "Oh, well, if you want to do something else tonight, then that's alright," he said putting his paws back on the steering wheel.

Judy realized she had hurt his feelings a little, so she grabbed his paws off the steering wheel and held them tight.

"But I'm willing to learn how to bowl," she said with a grin.

Nick looked down at their paws, feeling a small blush forming. He was thankful the fur on his face covered at least most of it. As he slowly unlaced their paws, he opened the door and leapt out, landing swiftly on his feet. Nick walked around the front of the car to the passenger's side and opened the door for Judy.

"After you, Carrots," Nick said, holding an arm out for her. She held it as she exited the vehicle, letting go once she reached the ground.

"Oh thank you. You're such a gentleman," Judy commented, sending Nick a sly smirk.

His ears perked up at her words. "Really?" he asked.

"No."

Nick groaned in pretend dismay as Judy laughed. The two of them walked into the building side by side ready for an evening of fun.

Instead, it turned out a little different.

Judy and Nick stood at the counter where they paid for their game patiently as the sloth working there was very slow.

"What... is... your... shoe... size?"

"I'm a twelve and she's a nine," Nick responded.

The sloth turned around and went to get their shoes at an unhurried pace. Nick started beating his paws on the counter in a constant rhythm. Judy looked at Nick questionably, but then joined in with him, the two of them giggling all the while.

"Nick?" a feminine voice behind him asked, ceasing his drumming.

Nick turned around to face the woman who addressed him and Judy did the same. Before them was a lovely vixen wearing a shirt that was cut a tad too low and very short jean shorts.

"Megan?" he asked, a little confused. Judy looked at him shocked.

 _He knows this girl?_ Judy thought, feeling a bit awkward and uncomfortable. Her heart sank slightly.

Megan smiled. "It's been a long time, Nick."

He gave her a sad smile. "Yeah, it really has been."

Megan gazed at him while Nick was trying to look at anything but her. Judy walked to Nick's side and he looked down at the rabbit, realizing she had no idea who this fox was. Nick desperately wanted to get out of this moment. Megan was a part of his past that he very much wanted to forget.

He cleared his throat and began to speak. "Judy, this is Megan, a childhood friend of mine. Megan, this is Judy, my..." he stopped his words short, not sure how to describe companion.

Nick and Megan's past together did not end with a bang, so he was hesitant to tell her anything new about his life. But one glance down at Judy made him feel confident enough to tell her that he had moved on to someone else.

"...My girlfriend," he stated, staring at the bunny who he cared for so much.

Nick and Judy looked into each other's eyes and smiled as Megan looked on, feeling a little melancholic and sensing that she was almost unwelcome. He had moved on from her... to a bunny! Swallowing her envy and not wanting to let him go, she walked over to Nick and grabbed his paw.

"Nickie, how about we play a game of bowling together. All three of us! We need to catch up! What do you say?" Megan offered. Nick winced at 'Nickie.' He always hated it when she called him that.

Nick looked over toward Judy as she smiled and nodded. It was clearly evident she was trying to hide her annoyance. Even though she was very uncomfortable, he knew she would have said yes because that was who she was. A girl who was always putting other people's happiness ahead of her own. Nick sighed internally. He secretly hoped Judy would have said no. He just wanted to spend the evening with Judy.

"Alright. You can join us," he said as Megan excitedly squealed and jumped in the air. The sloth finally returned to the counter with the two pairs of shoes. The female fox walked up to the counter.

"I will be joining their game," she said, handing him a few bills. "Size ten shoes, please."

"Sure... thing."

The sloth turned around once again, plodding to the shoe rack. Judy groaned and Nick smirked at her reaction. It would be at least another ten minutes before they actually started bowling.

Once they put on their shoes, they grabbed their bowling balls and walked to lane five. Nick walked ahead while Judy and Megan followed behind.

"So, Megan," Judy began. "You and Nick were friends as kids?"

"Oh yeah. We were very good friends. We actually dated for a pretty long time during our teenage years. We _really_ liked each other," Megan replied with a snippy tone.

"Oh! Well, that's nice." Judy responded, her fur standing on end as she felt the green-eyed monster return deep within her. Megan suddenly put a paw on Judy's shoulder, making her stop and turn around.

"Look. I'm sure you seem nice, and you're dating Nick which is nice too, but I don't think your relationship will work out," Megan stated.

Judy just looked at her. "But Nick and I have only been dating a week. I think we should give this a chance. Why don't you think this will work?"

Megan hummed to herself and then began speaking again. "Oh, I dunno. I guess it's because you're a bunny and he's a fox."

Judy gasped. "What does our species have anything to do with our relationship currently?! I just want to get to know him more right now! I really like him!"

"Yes, I'm sure you do like him," Megan started. "but _I_ have _always_ loved him. Since it's only been a week, I suggest that you two end this and start dating people of your own kind. Not this interspecies shit," she finished with a snap of her fingers and walked away.

Judy stood there, her face crimson as Megan strode to their lane, a pep in her step. She looked toward the ground as Megan's painful words registered in her mind. Judy was interrupted from her thoughts when she heard Nick shout, "Carrots, are you coming?" Feeling the hot tears stinging her eyes, she quickly wiped them away and joined the two foxes at lane five. She was adamant on not letting this vixen ruin her evening.

Nick was the first one to bowl. He got up from his seat between Judy and Megan and left them there in silence. Nick lined himself up with the dots on the floor and the arrows on the lane. He picked up his green bowling ball and concentrated while Judy watched with anticipation. Nick took three strides forward, brought his right leg behind his left as he released the ball, and watched as it rolled to the end. The next thing that was heard was the clattering of pins.

It was a strike.

Nick triumphantly raised his arms and walked back toward the two ladies waiting for him, taking his seat in the middle of theirs.

"Nickie, that was wonderful!" Megan shrieked. "That was the best bowling skills I have ever seen!"

Judy looked at Nick awestruck. "H-how long have you been bowling like that?" she asked.

"Well, I've been bowling about fifteen years, but I was awful when I started out," he said, wrapping an arm around Judy.

Megan watched them with her eyes narrowed, offended that Nick completely ignored her.

"Fifteen years? Nick with your experience, there is no way I'm going to win this game!"

He chuckled and smiled at her. "It's your turn, Carrots. Knock 'em dead," Nick said as he pushed her gently toward the lane.

Judy cautiously walked up to the ball return and picked up her orange ball, only to have it slip out of her paws and onto the floor. The loud "thud" caught the attention of a large group of sheep in the lane next to them, turning their heads toward Judy. Embarrassed, she picked up the ball again, but it dropped to the floor another time. The sheep started snickering as her face turned a light shade of pink. Judy turned her head to face Nick, who encouraged her forward with a nod and a smile. She grinned back, knowing that at least he was not laughing at her.

Judy steadily walked forward, not letting the ball slip out of her paws again. She looked down the bowling alley and saw ten pins awaiting the arrival of the ball she held in her hands. She stuck the digits of her paws into the holes of the ball and swung her arm back and threw the ball forward. When the ball was released, it was aimed too far to the left and landed in the gutter. Megan and the sheep were roaring. Nick shot an angry glance at the sheep and their laughter immediately died. He glanced at Megan, who was still laughing, and gave her a death look. Megan turned away from him and huffed.

"I told you, Nick. I'm absolutely terrible," Judy said as she walked briskly back toward him.

"Then let me help you. It's still your turn," he replied.

He got up and led Judy back to the lane. Megan turned her head around and saw Judy and Nick together. She gave Judy such a glare that if looks could kill, she would definitely be dead.

"Now, you'll want to stand about here," Nick said, putting his paws on Judy's shoulders and moving her toward the middle.

She blushed lightly as he squeezed her shoulders. This evening was just filled with moments of her face turning red.

He picked up the orange bowling ball and handed it to her. "Now, you'll want to grasp the ball with the three holes here." Judy did as she was instructed.

"Swing your arm back, like this," Nick said as he did a demonstration. "Then, stride forward three steps, and let go."

Judy turned her glance from him to the lane in front of her. She took a deep breath, brought her arm back, paced forward and then released the ball. Judy watched the orange ball roll down the lane like a blur. It smashed into the middle pins, which created a ripple effect and knocked down the others. It was a spare.

Judy screamed with happiness and jumped up and down. She ran toward Nick and pummeled into him, almost causing both of them to fall. Luckily, he held onto her as he regained his balance, both of them laughing.

"Look at you, Carrots," he whispered in her ear. "You did it!"

"I know! I'm so happy! Thank you!" Judy whispered back.

They both were snapped out of the moment when they heard Megan clearing her throat.

"I believe it is my turn, so if you two _lovebirds_ could sit down, that would be _great_."

Nick, realizing that he was lifting Judy off of the ground, put her back down and they both nervously chuckled.

"I, uhh, need the bathroom," Judy said. "I'll be right back."

Nick watched her retreating form as Megan leaned an arm on his shoulder, seizing the opportunity to talk to him. "Now that we're finally alone, Nickie, why don't we talk a bit."

Nick sighed and shrugged her off of his shoulder. "I thought we 'talked a bit' six years ago," he said, emphasizing 'talked a bit.' "I have nothing more to say to you, Megan."

"Well, why not?" she asked angrily. "Nick, I just want you back. You mean so much to me."

"Hmm. You didn't feel that way when you cheated on me," Nick snapped.

Megan stared at him, mouth agape. "That was a mistake. I realize that I really love you now. I'm so sorry," she explained, gripping his paws with her own.

Nick scoffed at her, pulled his paws out from her grasp and shifted away. "You really believe that after telling me you loved someone else that I'm just going to run back to you? Sorry to break it to you, but that's not how love works. I've moved on. I have someone else in my life now."

Megan laughed loudly. "You mean the bunny? Nick, you're kidding, right? That's absurd!"

"Yes, _the bunny._ She has a name, you know," he replied in an irritated tone.

"I really don't care what her name is. I just can't believe you would stoop so low to find love. Nick, she's not even our species!"

Nick stared at her, hurt and hate in his eyes. "Megan, I'm finally happy without you in my life. Even when we were together, you were the most judgmental and depressing person. I see that after all these years, you haven't changed a bit."

Megan looked like she had been stabbed with a knife. "I can't believe you would hurt me like this, Nick. After all I've done for you!"

"Like what? Betraying me by having an affair with another fox for a year and a half? Oh yeah. You did plenty."

Megan glared at him furiously. She opened her mouth to speak, but quickly shut it, knowing he was right but never wanting to admit it. Nick saw her expression change from anger into one of regret. He sighed.

"Megan, you've hurt me too much, both in the past and even tonight. I'm sorry, but I don't really want to talk to you anymore. Please leave this bowling lane and find another one. I want to spend the rest of the little evening I have left with Judy," he said.

Megan stamped her foot in anger and briskly stormed off. Just then, Judy returned to their lane and saw a very happy Nick.

"Man. You take a really long time in the bathroom, Carrots," he joked.

Judy rolled her eyes, then noticed something was different.

"Where's Megan?" Judy asked.

"Eh. Let's just say we had a spat and she needed to leave," he answered, placing his paws behind his head. "Besides, she made me realize that I would rather spend the rest of the evening with my lovely girlfriend."

Judy grinned and kissed him square on the lips. She pulled away and put her lips next to his ear. "Good," she whispered.

After a moment, Judy walked to her seat, leaving him dumbstruck. Nick's heart did multiple flip-flops as he went to bowl.

 _This bunny will be the death of me..._ He thought.

"It's your go, Nick. Are you ready to probably beat the worst bunny who ever bowled?"

Nick grabbed the bowling ball and turned his head to face her. He wore his signature smile and a look of determination.

"You bet, sweetheart."

He lined himself up, moved forward and released the ball, smiling when he heard the familiar sound of pins crashing to the floor. It was another strike. He turned to Judy, who was excited for him. Nick went over to her and embraced her for the second time that night. Although that evening was not as enjoyable as he hoped it would have been, Nick was relieved that his past left storming out of his life and his future was in his arms.

 **I don't have a ton of practice when it comes to writing OCs, so I apologize if my writing was meh.**

 **Also, I will continue this FanFiction, but I have another Zootopia idea in mind that I'm planning to begin sometime next week or the week after that. So pretty soon, I will be switching between updating this one and that one.**

 **Finally, if I don't end up posting another chapter until next week, then Happy Easter! Whether you celebrate the holiday or not, I hope you all have a marvelous weekend!**

 **Be sure to R &R! Until next time, keep reading! **

**-TheLexTurtle**


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